Sat Aug 30 19:43:28 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
The evacuation of residents from the Chander Kunj Army apartments’ twin towers, scheduled for August 31, 2025, has been delayed. This is due to the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) failing to pay the agreed-upon advance rent to the apartment owners for alternative accommodation during the demolition and reconstruction. The Kerala High Court has ordered the AWHO to deposit six months’ rent into an escrow account by September 3, pending a final decision on the rent amount. Apartment owners insist they will not evacuate until the rent is paid. The delay is expected to impact the entire timeline for demolition, reconstruction, and handover of the new apartments, tentatively planned for completion by October 2029.
**News Article:**
**Chander Kunj Apartment Evacuation Delayed Over Rent Dispute**
KOCHI, August 31, 2025 – The planned evacuation of residents from the structurally unsound twin towers of Chander Kunj Army apartments has been postponed indefinitely. The deadline of August 31, 2025, will not be met due to a dispute between the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) and the apartment owners. The AWHO has failed to provide advance rent for temporary accommodation, a condition agreed upon for the duration of the demolition and reconstruction project.
The Kerala High Court intervened, issuing an interim order directing the AWHO to deposit six months’ rent into an escrow account managed by the District Collector by September 3. This order comes in response to a writ appeal from the apartment owners’ association, challenging a previous court ruling on rent amounts. The owners argued that the original court-ordered rent failed to account for periodic increases.
“There is no question of evacuation until the AWHO fulfills its obligation to pay the agreed-upon advance rent,” stated Saji Thomas, president of the Chander Kunj Army Apartments Owners Association. He added that some owners who had moved out earlier based on promises of rent payment have yet to receive any funds.
The district administration, which had been coordinating the evacuation process, confirmed the delay. The District Disaster Management Authority had already issued an evacuation notice, which had been pushed back by a month prior to this latest setback.
The delay throws into uncertainty the ambitious four-phase plan to demolish the towers on November 9, 2025, and rebuild new apartments by October 31, 2029. With 208 families affected, a swift resolution to the rent dispute is crucial to keep the project on track.
First Piper 